Unearthed Secrets
by Forestfirekid
Summary: Vakama has long since gotten use to not trusting others other than the members of her Province. When the darkest secrets of her past cause the much lighter ones to surface, what will the reactions of the other Elders be? The Guardians? The Ta-Matoran have long been secretive in order to protect themselves, but will the other Provinces understand the reason why?


_**AN:Hey guys.**_

 _ **Yes, I'm posting another story. That does not mean that I've stopped working on the others. I'm almost done with the second chapter of my Pokémon fic – Hidden in Plain Sight – and I'm working on the second chapters for my Ghost Hunt fic, my Xenoblade Chronicles fic, my Harry Potter fic, and my Vampire Knight fic, the later of the four being the second closest to being finished, though I'm still struggling with the flow of things.**_

 _ **Bionicle was one of the first things I started coming up with ideas for fanfiction for, alongside Ghost Hunt and Naruto. These three are the only ones which I can easily come up with new ideas for. This fic for Bionicle isn't actually my first idea but my third. It's just that the flow and start of the plot came to me far easier than that of the other two. The ideas for my plots tend to be near the halfway point of a story when they hit me, which is why I have difficulties keeping constant updates. It's why I like Bionicle so much; you can literally pick a point in the plot-line and change things as you wish. It's fanfiction gold!**_

 _ **Anyway, for the first time I have definitions that need to be read due to the fact that I've turned the characters in a human like species – I've done a similar thing to the various other creatures as well – so keep referring to what I write before the first Line Break. Some things are explained in the text. Feel free to PM me if you have questions**_

 _ **Forestfirekid**_

 _Definitions:_

Matoran – the citizens of the provinces/lands/island. The difference between the Matoran, the Toa, and the Turaga was rather distinct in the books and the few movies, but in this fic the term Matoran covers all the members of the province – including the Toa and the Turaga.

Guardians – these are the Toa. I felt that if I was going to change other things, the name should be changed too. The distinction between the Guardians and the regular citizens is the Gem of Power that dangles between their eyes above their nose and the fact that they tend to always be dressed in battle garb. They are just what their name implies; Guardians of the Island that live in the same province/land that the citizens linked to their element do. A talisman which indicates their position is always on their person, normally hanging along the side of their faces, tied to a lock of hair. They are normally the offensive force.

Elders – these are the Turaga. I changed this for the same reason as I changed Toa to Guardians. Just like the Guardians, the distinction between the Elders and the regular citizens is the Gem of Power that dangles between their eyes above their noses, though Elders rarely dress for battle. They have still have their talismans from their time as Guardians, but don't wear them unless they need to. The can still fight, except that normally they defend their peoples form Rahi and other threats. They come into the position of Elders by sacrificing a certain amount of Inner Energy in order to power new unmarked initiates into Guardians or by sacrificing that same amount of Inner Energy for a good cause. The amount varies from Guardian to Guardian.

Initiates – those put forward to become Guardians. Marked initiates are born with the rune of their corresponding element somewhere on their person and don't need a Guardian to provide the Inner Energy to fulfill the initiation. Unmarked initiates need a Guardian to provide the Inner Energy. A talisman is required in both cases and the source site is either the Temple/Shrine to the Great Spirit or in some cases the Great Lady. A Guardian can provide Inner Energy for at least two Guardians in a certain period of time without having to give up their own position. A full team normally causes them to have to give up the position and become Elders.

Inner Energy – energy present in all Matoran. Each Matoran is born with a certain amount and can increase it through training, though this knowledge has been lost over time. Becoming a Guardian gives a Matoran a rather large boost in Power and an Elder has far more difficulties increasing their stores than other Matoran While the Guardians have a slightly easier time than Matoran at doing so.

(insert here)-Koro – Lands of (insert here)

(insert here)- Metru – Province of (insert here)

Great Lady – the youngest daughter of the Great Spirit. Most don't know anything about her.

Gem of Power – replacement of the Masks of Power. A Guardian/Elder only has the one, but the can absorb others from from certain Power Crystals. The powers that are absorbed aren't as strong as the original power which the Gem holds.

Lifespan – I'm not certain about much other than the fact that the Matoran have extremely long lifespans. Short lifespans would make the story rather pointless. It's the entire reason why I have the Matoran being similar to humans – I can play with the life span but the readers can picture the how the characters look based on their discriptions

Talisman – an indicator of a Guardian. Identifies their elemental inclinations and their title. Used to channel Inner Energy and manipulate the wearers element.

Vo-Metru – Province of Light

Vo-Matoran – Citizens of the Province of Light

– **Line Break –**

 _A figure dressed in a gold tunic with black embroidery along the bottom edges and a pair of light brown pants and hiking boots reached the end of the path that led to a grassy ledge that overlooked the Province of Fire from the single mountain that existed in the province, short and wavy sunny blond hair blowing around his face due to the wind and causing a pure black talisman that had a rune that represented 'light' done in gold on both sides that was tied with Visorak web cord to a lock of hair that framed his face to sway this way and that. His sky blue eyes fell onto the figure of what was obviously a female who was sitting down with her knees to her chest as she gazed out over the Province and dressed in something that would cause those who were not familiar with the dress of Ta-Matoran to stare. Dressed in a top that only covered her decently endowed chest but had a covering of white metal with protection runes inscribed in red all over it, that was obviously meant to take damage along with a battle skirt made of leather – with four reinforced tassets that were attached to another piece of leather that protected her torso between her hips and her bellybutton, three belts keeping it secure – and a pair of biker shorts underneath, the women looked like a warrior. A pair of metal bracers that were made out of the same material as her armored top graced her arms and along with the knee high combat boots and her waist length soot black hair which was up in a high tail held up by two braids made her look as much as a noble as she did a warrior. As pencil straight as the hair was though, the ends fell in small ringlets except for the shorter strands that framed her face along with her bangs. The shade of her skin, which looked as though it was naturally tanned, only added to her beauty. He walked until he was standing right behind her. She must have heard him approach as the moment he stopped walking she leaned back slightly against his shins._

 _"Nuhrii told me this was your favorite place in the Province outside of your forge. I can understand why," the figure dressed in gold murmured, running a hand through his hair and causing light to gleam off of one of the bracers which he wore on both arms._

 _The woman hummed in acknowledgment, but didn't say anything, just continuing to keep gazing towards the distance. Both just looked on in silence, enjoying the comfortable atmosphere between them. As much as both had been upset with Nuhrii for locking them in one of the underground storerooms because he was fed up with them tip-toeing around each other, they both had to admit that the man's actions had probably caused for far more progress in their relationship than the relationship would have seen if the two of them had been left to their own devices. They didn't blame the man for his actions either, as his wife had been removed from active duty as a the only Fire Guardian due to the fact that she was expecting their first child and he had been stressed enough already without having to deal with the two of them and their weird – at the time – relationship._

 _"Why are you up here," the male asked, moving his gaze to the female._

 _"I'm worried about Corona," was the simple reply._

 _The male let a pause take over as he thought over the response and what it could mean. One of the things that had attracted him to her in the first place was that her answers could have more than one meaning. The trip with her to Voya Nui way back on Elder Dume's insistence had shown him that she knew a lot more about what went on around the world than she'd let those she wasn't close to see, even if she was confused over what she knew and what it could mean. Something that had always been a downside when it came to Vo-Matoran who were born with the gift of Sight, a gift that had thought to be lost when the Light Province noble, Vana, had left Metru Nui and had taken her gift with her without passing her bloodline on to a child of her own. The gift ran in bloodlines and Vana had been the last of not only her own bloodline but also the last of those who had the gift of Sight. It had come as a shock to all the members of Vo-Metru when one of their record keepers had returned from a routine check on the Archive files with the information that Vana had mothered a child with a Ta-Matoran and that the child had volunteered to help with the testing on Visorak venom. He himself hadn't known who exactly the child had been until he had fallen head over heals in love with her._

 _"You had a Vision."_

 _It wasn't a question. Ever since the Province of Fire had closed itself off from everyone except for Vo-Metru, the women hadn't worried as much about what took place inside of the Province as she did for what took place outside of it. While she had worried for Corona while she had been preforming her duties as Guardian, Corona had been on medical leave for a few months already due to her being with child and as a result shouldn't be in much danger._

 _"The venom the Rahkshi had used did something. I worried for both her and the child she carries. The Vision was blurry."_

 _"Dume's given me leave of my duties to make sure that Corona's health doesn't falter; he doesn't want to bring in a new Fire Guardian any more than you and the rest of the Ta-Matoran. Corona will be fine, and the child will have a life where it will be loved and cared for."_

 _She looked up at him, violet eyes that were so very rare among Ta-Matoran looking at him with agony clearly visible._

 _"Are we truly living if we have to hide our natures from everyone outside of the Province, even if it is for our own safety?"_

"Mo– Vakama," a voice called out quietly in the silence of her forge, snapping Vakama out of her remembrance of the past as she had let her mind wander while she had been using her Inner Energy and tools to craft an item in her forge.

Looking at the entry-way that connected the front section of her quarters – the decently sized forge that was the only one in existence in Ta-Koro, the Lands of Fire – to the main square of the rather small village that the Ta-Matoran lived in, Vakama spotted the Guardian of Fire, Tahu, glancing in with an air of unease, her specially crafted Magma Board having been disabled into it's dual great sword state and currently strapped to her back. The fact that the young Fire Guardian could wield not only one, but two identical and heavy great swords at the same time was a show of strength that none of the rest of the Guardian's seemed to realize the importance of. That was ignoring the fact that no one outside of Ta-Matoran knew that she was female – it had long been custom for female Ta-Matoran to dress as males outside of the village and since no-one outside of the villagers them selves were allowed admittance, keeping the knowledge of just who was female secret was not difficult. Though Vakama had noticed that the current Guardian of Water had her suspicions about Tahu's gender which most likely stemmed from the fact that the Guardians of Ice and Air, Kopaka and Lewa respectively, constantly acted like they were pulling at the pigtails of a girl which they liked – a subconscious action on both their parts, Vakama had noted with amusement, remaining oblivious to the fact that Onewa, Matau, and Nuju had done the same back in the past all the Elders shared and that all the Matoran, outside of the those from the Land of Fire, no longer remembered.

"What's wrong Tahu? And what have I told you about what you call me while we're inside the village?" Vakama called out, getting up and making her way to the only Guardian she knew who had managed to lead their team when they had absolutely no confidence in their own abilities.

Even Jaller – who had a legitimate reason to be as unconfident as she was in her skills, though she really didn't need to be and yet was close to the bottom of the list of those who self-depreciated themselves – had more confidence in her own abilities than Tahu, and the mute young adult – who was also a marked Guardian initiate that Vakama was teaching the ropes to – was constantly begging Vakama to remove her as head of the Guard Force with the belief that she was holding them back from their full potential. It was really unwarranted – the fact that the rest of the Guard members were constantly coming to Vakama and practically demanding that Vakama keep Jaller in her position was rather telling that the girl was doing a good job. Vakama was pretty sure that Tahu's lack of confidence came from the fact that she remembered her life prior to her transportation pod washing up on the shore of the border between Ga-koro and Ta-koro, something that none of the other Guardian's did and often complained about. Tahu's actions reminded Vakama of herself back when Lhikan had first started courting her; the issues that arose due to her extremely dysfunctional relationship with her family had played a huge part on her self-depreciation. Vakama made a mental note – again – to physically beat some sense into her elder brother the next time they crossed paths; what sane person has extremely young children go through the Guardian Ritual, marked initiate or not.

Vakama hadn't even made half the distance to the entryway before Tahu launched herself into her arms, causing her to stumble back a few steps in order to regain both her footing and balance. Feeling tears against the crook of her neck, which was bare, Vakama quickly lifted Tahu into her arms and walked into the living space that Nuhrii had insisted be attached to the Forge – giving her a look of amusement that was shared with several other Ta-Matoran when she shot him a betrayed look and had insisted that she could make her way from the Forge to a home further away – and to the third bedroom that had been added when Tahu had first shown up. Sitting down on the bed, Vakama rubbed circles along her back while humming a lullaby that she hadn't sung since before having to send Tahu and her eldest to her brother for their safety – the side effects that had come about from that decision were making her wonder if she should have gone about the situation differently, no matter the fact that it had been the best decision that she could have made at the time.

"Tahu," Vakama started softly when Tahu had calmed down and stopped crying. "What's wrong?"

Tahu didn't move from the position she was in but Vakama still made out the phrase that was uttered by the youngest of the six Guardians.

"Something bad is going to happen soon. _Really_ soon."

Vakama's hold tightened around the Guardian of Fire; her youngest child, her youngest daughter. Of all the things to inherit, her children had had to inherit her abilities over time. Both had inherited the specific skill, though it was obvious that Tahu wasn't prone to be struck by visions; unlike her sister who had the ability to look into the past for information – it had been downright awkward raising a child who would ask questions about incidents that had been sworn by all parties involved to be forgotten due to how embarrassing and awkward they were. Tahu had gained a vague but precise sixth sense that served to warn her about upcoming events and their natures.

Vakama opened her mouth in order to try and calm Tahu down further when her vision went black.

 _A talisman she recognized as one of the ones she had made back on Metru Nui, long before the Great Quake that had rendered Voya Nui unreachable, before the Vo-Matoran had sailed to Voya Nui for their own safety due to her urging, before Vo-Metru sunk to the bottom of the Great Sea – she had left them in the storage section of the forge, knowing that with Lhikan's continued presence, there would at least be the chance of another Guardian of Light along side Takua when she came of age..._

 _The entirety of Onu-koro's stone-carved buildings destroyed, laying there in rubble, as the Matoran ran for shelter, the Guardian of Earth's presence not there though his Inner Energy could be felt moving towards the location as quickly as he could alongside that of several other Guardians..._

 _Ta-koro; the Matoran fending off what she recognized as Rhakshi along side her and Tahu; her tight control over the internals of the volcano which they had created their settlement inside of slipping slightly as the amount of Inner Energy she had started to drop, allowing for a few large pillars of magma to shoot up around her as well as underneath a Rhakshi she was fighting just as it stabbed it's venom coated spear through one of her lungs..._

 _Ta-koro again, though after the battle; every citizen of the Land of Fire quickly making their way towards the mountain that held the shrine for the Great Spirit, both Takua and Jaller missing form the small crowd and the village empty of anything important, the Matoran having obviously been warned of the attack prior to it happening ..._

 _Makuta, facing off against both her and surprisingly Takua, who was dressed in the garb of a male Light Guardian, the talisman which had been shown earlier dangling down, tied to a lock of hair that framed her face as the rest of her short blond hair blew about ..._

 _Tahu straining to keep up the barrier preventing molten lava from reaching them and the Matoran of all six of the Lands as the rest of the Guardians and Elders ushered them into a side tunnel that looked to have been warded against the lava that Tahu was preventing as she and Takua fought Makuta, meaning that the battle would be taking place somewhere under Ta-koro and that she would release her control of the volcano and that it would go through with the eruption it should have gone through two hundred years prior, five years after they had originally settled the island ..._

Vakama opened her eyes to see Tahu looking at her worriedly with sky blue eyes. The last time that Tahu's sixth sense had coincided with her Sight had been just before the Bohrok swarms were released, and she had almost lost Tahu to the hoard due to the fact that she hadn't had the time to warn her about it.

"Tell Nuhrii to make an announcement. We need to start moving anything important out of the village and to the safe zone. See if the Tahnok are willing to do the moving. Every Ta-Matoran is to get as much training in as possible within the days leading to the Kolhii tournament. Tell him that Makuta is setting Rahkshi upon us."

– **Line Break –**

Vakama sighed as she walked out of the Meeting Hall that had been built just outside of the village for the Elders to meet, rolling her shoulders in an effort to release the tension that had been building within her body the last few days as the other Elders followed her out. It was a relief that she hadn't needed to make the trek into Ko-koro – she had never been able to handle the cold and she remembered the only time she had ever tried to visit the Knowledge Towers in Ko-Metru; it hadn't ended well and she had remained pale as snow and somewhat blue for weeks, ignoring the fact that she had continued to remain bed ridden for months afterwards. Ko-koro wasn't as bad as the constant use of her Inner Energy to keep herself warm actually worked to a degree, but she'd still continue to shiver for weeks after a visit. Tugging briefly at the tight braid her waist length hair had been tied back into, Vakama let her hands to drift to the loose red tunic that she was wearing and tugged at the yellow embroidered hem. It had been a while since she had worn a tunic and she had forgotten what it felt like. The large white half helmet that was customary for all Ta-Matoran to wear when preparing for battle in order to protect part of backs and tops of their heads was in place – her long braid trailing out of the bottom like it always did and would for any Ta-Matoran with long hair –, as it always was when she or any other Ta-Matoran left the village, even if it was for only a minute. Her white bracers were also on her arms, both it and the half helmet covered in enough red protective rune-script that they looked red if not looked at closely, and her white greaves were on her shines over top of dark brown leggings, covered in the same amount of red protective rune-script. Her chest was wrapped with bandages, insuring that her chest would not give away the fact that she was female – this was helped along with the fact that most Ta-Matoran, like Vo-Matoran and surprisingly Le-Matoran, were always rather petite and lithe, not matter how much effort they put into gaining muscle mass.

Vakama didn't know how she should feel about the fact that the others had assumed that the isolationist position of Ta-Matoran was ingrained from their time on Metru Nui and hadn't questioned the fact that the Meeting Hall was outside of the village proper when they had come for their first meeting in Ta-koro, though there clearly was some disappointment present that they hadn't even questioned the Hall's location. As it was, Vakama was sure that they had noticed that she was tense, and that was if they hadn't noticed how tense the few Ta-Matoran that had been rushing back and forth from the village were. She had noticed how Tahu's Power Gem always flashed with power when she was feeling strongly and she had noticed the same thing with the other Guardians and even the Elders, though it was far less likely with the later due to the control which they had gained over their emotions. As it was, she was certain that her Gem – which hung from the middle of a chain that was attached on either side of her head to locks of hair as was custom – had been flashing on and off with power due to her unease.

"Vakama!"

Vakama turned her head quickly when she heard Tahu's panicked call, not noticing the attention of the other Elders and even Matoro had fallen on her due to the quick head turn. Tahu was running her way, her Magma Board disassembled and on her back and a pair of short daggers at her waist. She was dressed similarly to Vakama herself, except for the fact that – like Takua and Jaller – her hair was cropped short, though it was black unlike Takua's blond hair and Jaller's own fiery red locks that would occasionally flash slightly blond if hit correctly by sunlight.

"What's going on," Vakama asked quietly when Tahu had reached her.

"Both Takua and Jaller said they heard something from inside the volcano and went to investigate, we haven't heard back and Nuhrii's growing worried," Tahu respond just as quietly, just as aware that the other Elders were present and the need for secrecy.

Vakama spared enough time to give a nod to Tahu before dashing towards the village, Tahu hot on her heals. Neither noticed that though the other Elders hadn't heard the majority of the brief exchange, they had seen the panic on Tahu's face and the worry that had crossed Vakama's own at the information that had been exchanged.

– **Line Break –**

The Elders all watched as both Vakama and Tahu ran back towards the entrance to the village that had been carved into the side of the volcano to give access to the inside. None had really heard just what had been said, but the daggers at Tahu's waist – even though he had his Magma Board/Great Swords on his back – along with his look of panic and Vakama's own look of worry was enough to set them on edge. They had all noticed that Vakama was on edge, but they hadn't made much of it originally, thinking it was an inter-village dispute. Now though, it was obvious that something was wrong.

"I wish he'd tell us what was wrong," Nokama murmured as she watched the duo run into the village and the doors come down after them.

Matau grimaced, though he nodded in agreement. " As do I warrior-sister, but we can all truth-tell that we took far too much time before we tried to get-know warrior-brother, by which point it was too late for proper trust-gain."

They all cringed at that, knowing how true it was. By the time they had tried to get to know their fellow Guardian better, it had been far to late to actually gain Vakama's trust. It was their fault, as he had been willing for team bonding when they had first met, but with each mission they took and challenge they had passed, he had withdrawn from them slightly. They themselves had been wary about the Ta-Matoran and had kept their distance; the lack of Ta-Metru's contact with the other Provinces had made them distrust all Ta-Matoran except for Lhikan. That had been their mistake, one they had come to regret with each passing meeting with the Fire Elder. By the time they had realized how much Vakama had meant to the team, he had been under the influence of Visorak venom and had been separated from them during the fall. It took months for them to find him again and for the venom to filter out of all their systems thanks to Keetongu's help through speeding up the process, but Vakama hadn't tried reach back when they finally reached out to take the metaphoric hand that he had first reached out towards them. They'd always be partners-in-arms, but they would never be siblings-in-arms like the other Guardian teams that had existed prior to their own; they would never have that close of a relationship with the one they had elected as their leader due to the distance they had kept between them from the moment they had met. And they had been regretting it since they had realized that fact.

Nuju interrupted these thoughts as he said something in the ancient dialect he had only spoken in since a hard blow to the head. Matoro was quick to translate.

"They mentioned Nuhrii. Takua and Jaller may have also been mentioned. Elder Nuju isn't entirely sure," the translator stated matter-of-factly, though the looks he kept shooting to the entrance to the village showed that he was worried about his two friends who might have been mentioned.

All the other Elders looked stunned at the mention of Nuhrii. None of them had managed to track down their own fellow Matoran who had helped them find the Great Disks in order to take down the Morbuzakh and had later come to their aid in the battle against the self-aware plant by combining the little power they had and serving as a distraction. They had all thought that all six of them had perished at some point from that battle to when they had been put into the pods. That fact that Nuhrii was still alive and well was something none of them had known.

Exchanging glances, it was Onewa who finally spoke up. "Nokama and I will try and talk to him about what has him so strung up after the Kolhii Tournament Finals which start in few hours time."

Whenua and Matau opened there mouths to shoot down the suggestion, both wanting to to try and talk to Vakama as well, but closed them when Nuju nodded his head and muttered something, causing Matoro to tilt his head as he listened to what was being said, before he spoke up.

"Elder Nuju says that he agrees that the two of you should try to talk to Vakama, no matter how much he wishes that he and the others were present as well. He also says that maybe Vakama has 'seen' something," Matoro looked downright confused here at what Nuju meant by what he had said, but the other Elders gained looks of understanding, sharing a glance with each other.

Nuju muttered something else and Matoro was quick to translate. "He also says that the resemblance of Tahu to Lhikan is downright uncanny." Matoro paused. "Who's Lhikan?"

Nuju turned to Matoro and told him something that the others could easily translated into "now's not the time; I'll tell you later" just before Nokama replied, her eyes fixed again on the closed door that led to the main village in the Lands of Fire.

"I can agree with you there Nuju, except for the hair color, he does look like Lhikan. I never knew that Lhikan had had children."

Matau, Whenua, and Onewa nodded in agreement, the later two not having actually seen Tahu prior to now. Nuju hadn't seen Tahu before either, which was why he had been unsettled enough to ask the others if they found the resemblance just as off putting as he did; other than Takua, the residents of Ta-koro rarely visited the icy and cold lands of Ko-koro and the times when Vakama had to come to Ko-koro for a meeting, he had looked downright uncomfortable with the environment.

The stood there for a while, gazing at the entrance of the village which both Vakama and Tahu had disappeared into before they parted ways; Nokama and Onewa to prepare their fellow Matoran for the Tournament while Nuju, Matau, and Whenua went back to their villages.

– **Line Break –**

Jaller couldn't help but shift from one foot to the other as she watched her older sister slowly make her way from one pointed rock to another in order to cross to river of molten lava in an attempt to reach what was dangling from a ceiling stone. They had come down to this area due to the rather quiet crying sound that everyone had heard echoing through the tunnels, but Jaller couldn't blame Takua for being distracted by the small circular shaped object that was dangling from where it was attached to the ceiling, as it did looked familiar.

 _'Hurry up Takua,'_ Jaller called out by changing the patterns of her Inner Energy. _'We've been gone for a while and dad's probably getting worried. I wouldn't be surprised if Tahu went and got aunt Vakama.'_

"You worry to much sis," Takua called back. "And besides, the noise is coming from above whatever is dangling, so I'm also finding the source of that crying sound."

 _'Yes, but you're not fire-proof like Vakama; you're a Light Guardian initiate, you've never been good at fire manipulation past the basics. If you fall –'_

"Jaller," Takua called back at her with a soothing voice. "You're panicking. Remember what happens when you panic?"

Jaller quickly froze and started to take deep breaths in order to calm herself, knowing that if she didn't the lava would react to her panic and she herself could end up being the danger to Takua. She had a much closer connection with her Inner Energy than the majority of Guardians due to the fact that she used it to communicate and because of this it was quick to react to her emotions. Far quicker than it normally would be, which was why Vakama had her concentrate on meditation in order to find her zen state. It wasn't only her though who had a close connection with their Inner Energy, as all the Ta-Matoran had been quick to learn her method of communication in order to be able to not only understand her but also in order to talk to each other when even the smallest of sounds could get them killed. It was just that she was the only one who had to use it constantly and thus had developed the far closer connection which continued to get even closer as years passed.

Jaller had just managed to calm herself down when she heard Takua cry out in panic, causing her to look up in time to see something small with arms and legs fall from the ceiling onto Takua just as she grabbed the dangling object, causing her to loose her footing on the side of a rather large outcropping and fall towards the river of lava.

 _'Takua!'_

Jaller's sudden panic resulted in a large wave of magma to rise in an attempt to catch Takua, something that would have worked for the majority of Ta-Matoran but would not in any way work when it came to Takua due to the fact that she had barely any talent with the element of Fire.

"Tahu, toss the board!"

Jaller's head snapped in the direction of the shout to see her father, Nuhrii, alongside Vakama and Tahu running towards them, Tahu trowing her assembled Magma Board like a javalin towards the wave of lave as Vakama sped up slightly before she jumped into the air, landing on it as it passed underneath her. The moment she landed on the board, the board itself glowed slightly red, showing that Vakama was channeling her Inner Energy through the item which could also double as a weapon so that she could use it to it's full potential.

Vakama's eyes narrowed as she took full advantage of her knowledge of how Tahu's weapon worked in order to reach Takua before she hit the lava. Channeling more of her Inner Energy into the lava around her, she manipulated it so that a depression formed underneath where Takua was falling and so that the angle of the wave she herself was riding would increase and thus cause her to speed up. Her manipulation was spot on, as she easily caught Takua before being forced into the air due to the speed and the depression in the lava. Bring up pillars of lava, Vakama manipulated Tahu's Magma Board so that the end of her decent would be a few feet away from Jaller. As she neared solid ground, Vakama maneuvered Takua so that she and what she was holding could hold onto her back before she placed a hand on the edge of the board and stopped channeling Inner Energy to it. She landed as gently as she could on her feet with the extra weight on her back, the Magma Board in held securely in her hand.

"Takua! You know better than to do something this dangerous. What would you have done if the three of us hadn't gotten here in time!"Vakama scolded once she placed Takua down and had turned to face the younger Ta-Matoran.

Takua visibly wilted, the creature that had fallen onto her still in her arms curled in a small ball. "I thought that I'd be fine," she mumbled.

Vakama sighed as she gave the Magma Board back to Tahu as she and Nuhrii reached them. "As much as you haven't been a child for a good few thousand years Takua, you alongside your sister, Tahu, Vonashi, and Kaina are not only the youngest of our population but also some of the few remaining females. I didn't stop you from becoming Chronicler because I know that you can protect yourself – not to mention it would be hypocritical since I had the same role back when we were still on Metru Nui – but you need to learn to weigh all the possibilities before taking a course of action. You should have asked for someone else who didn't have your weakness to fire to come and help."

Takua was quick to nod in acknowledgment as she placed the creature in her arms onto the ground, just in time to prevent it from being squished as Jaller launched herself into her older sisters arms and gave her a bone breaking hug. Vakama was quick to notice that while Jaller's forehead was still covered, Takua's own was bare; showing of the Guardian Initiate mark – the rune for Light that basically stated that she would be a Light Guardian when she went through the initiation. The creature remained curled up on itself even though those standing around it weren't paying it much attention. Vakama tilted her head slightly as she got a message from a Ta-Matoran on the surface.

"We'll continue this later," Vakama told Takua as she turned her attention to include Jaller as well. "The Kolhii Tournament Finals are about to start and as you two are our representatives, you need to make your way to the arena. And Takua, you might want to tie a new piece of cloth around your forehead; you seem to have lost the one you were wearing"

The two sisters' eyes widened at the realization that their detour was about to cause them to be late for the match – Takua's hands also came to feel her forehead only for her to realize that Vakama was right, she had lost the piece of cloth that covered the mark that showed that she was a Guardian Initiate – before they both darted back towards the entrance to the tunnel that would lead them back to the village proper.

Nuhrii sighed in aggravation, a hand in his soot black hair. "May the Great Lady have mercy. Takua's going to be the death of me."

Vakama giggled in amusement. "It's in her nature as an initiate; Corona acted much the same before she took her position as a Guardian of Fire. The fact that she should have gone through the initiation back when we were still on Metru Nui means that the need to wander around and protect other Matoran worse. I'm amazed that Jaller isn't just as bad considering that just like Takua, she is at least a few thousand years old. Kiana is the only one under the two hundred and Tahu herself is just over the age that all Matoran are considered adults at two hundred and five years."

Tahu looked between both her mother and her godfather in curiosity. " If both were suppose to be Guardian's then why aren't they?" she asked.

Vakama sighed, glancing at Tahu. "By the time they were old enough, their mother had died under suspicious circumstances along with the dozen Fire Guardians that she had sacrificed her position as a Guardian to initiate. A third of the Vo-Matoran population had been killed as well. None of us wanted to risk any more of the population until we could figure out why not even a single member of the two teams of six had survived more than a week when they had been well enough trained to as regular Matoran to be able to take on a few Rahkshi or Visorak without much difficulty."

"Did you," Tahu asked, slightly alarmed that so many had died.

Vakama's face twisted into a grimace, but she didn't respond. Instead she turned her gaze to the creature that Takua had placed onto the stone floor of the chamber.

"The weapons they had been given were made of a weak metal and weren't designed to channel Inner Energy," Nuhrii answered Tahu's question, though he was looking at what Vakama was doing. "And considering the fact that it was you mother that made the weapons, it means that someone had switched them with the originals after Elder Dume had placed them in the Guardian Weapon Storage Vault in the Great Temple."

– **Line Break –**

Gali glanced at Tahu from the corner of her eyes from where the two of them and Pohatu sat as they watched the Kohlii Tournament Finals. At least, they were suppose to be watching; Pohatu was the only one who's attention was fully on the game. Tahu was not only distracted, but also tense and wasn't paying the game much attention. She herself was keeping half her attention on the game and the other half on Tahu. Tahu had come to the game late, alongside Elder Vakama and a Ta-Matoran that she hadn't recognized, though from the quick look of shock she had seen flash across both Elder Nokama and Elder Onewa's faces it was clear that the two Elders knew who he was. All three of them had arrived with grim expressions on their faces, the tension that was visible on all the other Ta-Matoran that were there present on them as well. She hadn't missed the worried expressions Elder Nokama and Elder Onewa had exchanged, but unlike them she was sure that she had slightly more information than they thought they had. No matter how well the Guardian of Fire dressed as a male, Gali was still around ninety percent certain that Tahu was female.

Seeing Tahu glance from on section of the crowd to another, Gali followed the Fire Guardian's line of sight to see that the glances had been directed to the Fire Elder and the Ta-Matoran that she didn't recognize. The unknown Ta-Matoran had his eyes fixed on the game, but it was obvious that half of his mind was elsewhere. Elder Vakama on the other hand, though he was narrating the game, looked like the game was the furthest thing from his mind. He was standing a good distance away from the other two Elders, who both were casting him worried looks, while his eyes showed that he was lost in thought. The fact that the grim expression had yet to leave his face, no matter how cheerful his voice was as he continued to narrate the game, informed her that something was clearly wrong.

Gali returned her gaze to Tahu, making a mental note to drag Pohatu to the Elders the moment that the game was over once she notice that Tahu kept glancing towards Vakama. With the tension present in all the Ta-Matoran and the fact that they all looked prepared for battle, it was clear that they knew that something bad was going to happen.

– **Line Break –**

The moment the game had ended, Vakama had practically flown out of the section of the stands that she, Nokama, and Onewa had been in and hurried down the stairs at a pace that could cause her serious injuries if she tripped or fell. Tahu had agreed to take the Ta-Matoran back to the village by herself due to _what_ the creature that Takua had found actually was. She had warned the village about Rahkshi attacking them at some point in the near future, but the presence of an infant Rahkshi, one not even out of the stage where it still needed to be fed by it's mother was something none of them had been expecting, let alone the fact that the moment it's gaze had landed on Vakama the little critter had launched itself into her arms and had nuzzled it's head into her neck for comfort. The three of them had been confused, as had the rest of the Ta-Matoran once she, Tahu, and Nuhrii had returned to the village. It had been why the three of them had been as late as they had been; she had decided to settle the little thing down inside her home so that it would be safe. The action had been met with exasperation from everyone as well as a snort of amusement form Tahu, but no one had said anything.

"You're mothering habits will get you killed by something one day you know," Nuhrii practically hollered at her once she neared him at the stadium exits, barely noticeing that Nokama and Onewa had followed her.

She shot him a half amused look. "That's not what I remember you saying when you dumped Takua on my lap as an infant and told me that it was time for me to get to know my godchild," she pretended to think back to the memory when it was already at the forefront of her mind, not really caring that the Guardians of Water and Stone had joined their Elders and were watching the byplay with fascination. "Actually, I think your words were 'direct your mothering habits to this hellion while I go see who my wife is yelling at'."

Nuhrii rolled his eyes at her and made a halfhearted attempt at defending himself. "She was suppose to be on bed rest, but I could her her yelling at someone from the direction of the border."

A smile twitched at Vakama's mouth for a moment before she gained a serious look that Nuhrii was quick to mirror. They were soon carrying a whispered conversation so quiet that it couldn't be overheard.

Nokama and Onewa watched alongside their curious Guardians as the two discussed something that they couldn't hear. Seeing Nuhrii alive and well had been a shock, even though they had expected it. Seeing how close the two were made regret twist in the pits of their stomachs, both keenly aware that they could have had a similar relationship if they had acted differently back during their own time as Guardians. Listening to the hushed conversation, they remembered why they had followed after Vakama and the fact that Gali had come to them with her own concerns about the citizens of Ta-koro. Seeing a pause in the conversation, Nokama shared a brief glance with Onewa that was caught by both the Guardians with them before she took a step forward.

"Va – "

"Vakama! Thank the Great Lady your still here!"

The shout of relief interrupted Nokama and caused everyone to look towards it's source to see Takua running towards them with Jaller hot on his heels.

Vakama, who had paused fully when she had heard her fellow Elder start to call out her name, turned to look at her goddaughter. "If this about your actions earlier, then I believe that you have already assumed that if do something similar again I'll stick you in the Guard and have you train with the other Guard members."

The other four perked up, having noticed that both Takua and Jaller had arrived just slightly before Vakama, Tahu, and Nuhrii. Onewa and Nokama shared another look, the realization that Nuju had managed to hear the name of at least one person correctly earlier and they couldn't help but wonder just what had happened.

Takua shook her head, her hand fishing for something she had in the bag she had brought with her. "No it isn't about that. With the panic that we'd be late, I forgot to show you the reason why I was on such a narrow outcropping in the middle of a river of lava."

Gali and Pohatu choked on air alongside the two Elders. As comfortable as Ta-Matoran were with heat, even they had some caution when it came to molten lava that was in the Lands of Fire. Their thoughts on why Takua would throw natural caution to the wind was interrupted when they heard Vakama's breath hitch.

"Not possible..." Vakama breathed out.

Coming closer to see why both Vakama and Nuhrii were looking at the object cupped in Takua's hands with wide eyed horror, both the duo of Elders and the duo of Guardians gained looks of shock when they saw the black talisman with the the rune for 'light' in the Chronicler's palms.

Nuhrii whirled to face Vakama. "I thought you said – "

"I did," Vakama snapped back. "With the condition I was in at the time, it's a miracle that I managed to make it the destination as fast as I did without causing myself permanent harm. I didn't have time to grab anything other than the stone meant for unmarked initiates."

Nokama and Onewa looked startled at the argument that the two Ta-Matoran were having. With the way the two were talking, it sounded like...

"Are you sure you didn't grab one at any point afterwards?" Nuhrii asked with slightly narrowed eyes.

"What do you take me for; of course I sure," Vakama answered, still somewhat snappish though panic was starting to show. "The only times I came back was to get the Great Crystal and go to the Furnace. You were with me the both times."

Nokama's and Onewa's eyes widened. That wasn't a conversation one would have with someone who didn't have their memories before they had awoken on the beaches of Mata Nui which they had later settled. How did Nuhrii remember his past when none of the other Matoran did.

"Are you sure you secured the Forge proper– "

"Yes I'm sure! I knew what I was getting into when I volunteered to go to the Temple as the initiate. I wasn't about to leave the Forge open while I was doing who-knows-what! I had a safe room underneath the forge meant specifically for them so that there wouldn't be a chance that one would go missing and the Nuurahk knew that no one was suppose to enter the room without my permission!"

Nokama and Onewa knew that they were both missing something in regards to the verbal exchange that Vakama and Nuhrii were sharing. It was obvious that Nuhrii remembered his life on Metru Nui and that from the lack of confused looks on Jaller and Takua's face, they did as well. What was confusing them was why Vakama would have had a Guardian talisman hidden and under heavy protection.

Nuhrii opened his mouth to say something before the heads of all four heads of the Ta-Matoran snapped up and looked towards the direction of the volcano in the Lands of Fire just as an explosion was heard from that direction. A quick glance was shared between Vakama and Nuhrii and a silent conversation seemed to be shared before Nuhrii darted towards the volcano.

Vakama returned her attention Takua and Jaller. "Takua you remember what I told you about the initiation?"

Pohatu and Gali looked confused at Vakama's question while Takua looked at Vakama with startled wide eyes, almost dropping the talisman in her palms. Both Nokama and Onewa had to stop themselves from looking between the two with open mouths. They both had an idea of what was going on but neither of them had any idea how it was possible.

"But I'm not – "

"You'll do fine Takua," Vakama was quick to interrupt putting a hand on each of Takua's shoulders and something in the way Vakama had said it had caused Takua to relax as realization dawned on his face. "You remember the way?"

Takua eyes remained on Vakama as he answered. "Through Onu-koro. You Saw – "

Both Nokama and Onewa heard the capital when Takua said 'saw' and both could feel the urgency in Vakama's voice and both knew that they needed to talk to Vakama. By this point, both Elders were rather happy to know that all the other Matoran had returned to their respective villages.

"Not the fully journey taken; just parts of it and and start of the end," Vakama said hurriedly and not really making sense to the others. "Take Jaller with you. May both of you be safe and may the Great Lady guide you safely."

"Va– "

"Go!" Vakama urged and a look of realization crossed Jallers face before he grabbed Takua and dragged him away in the direction of the tunnels which would lead to Onu-koro.

Before either Nokama or Onewa had a chance to even open their mouths Vakama had darted in the same direction that Nuhrii had gone earlier and another explosion sounded out, again from the same general direction as the volcano, except that this time it was followed by a large rush of Inner Energy that all four recognized as Tahu's; Tahu who's Inner Energy was only ever felt when he was charging preparing an attack far faster than he could handle.

"Oh Great Spirit...,"Nokama breathed as she turned to look Onewa. "You don't think..."

Onewa cursed under his breath, startling the two Guardians, before turning to look at Pohatu. "Go get Nuju and Kopaka. If Nuju asks why tell him that his assumption was right. Bring them both to the volcano."

He shared a final glance with Nokama before he darted off towards the volcano, Pohatu using his the Power of Speed that had been absorbed into his Gem of Power to dart off towards Ko-koro to do as his Elder had asked.

Nokama glanced at Gali. "Come with me, and be expect for there to be a battle," she told the Water Guardian before following Onewa.

Gali was hot on her Elder's heels, dread forming in the pit of her stomach at the thought that they might arrive just a moment to late to make a difference.

 _ **AN: Hope you guys enjoyed it. I figured that this was the best spot to end it as it leaves one wondering what will happen next but also gives the reader some idea of what will come to pass. I will eventually stop with switching between 'he' and 'she' for those who I've identified as female, but I wont do so until it becomes common knowledge among the other characters. This chapter is a total of 8'304 words in length, which is just over 13 pages on Open Office.**_

 _ **PM me if you have any questions or if you notice a mistake. If you're going to leave a review on the way out of this page, make sure that it's a type of review that will help me improve at writing or improve the story. I have a general idea of where I'm going with this, for those of you who might wish for it to go in a certain direction, so I'm apologizing ahead of time if it doesn't end up the way you want it to.**_

 _ **Forestfirekid**_


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